To Heal
by Jjimene5
Summary: Jamie thought her life was going downhill until one birthday present to go to a Starkid concert and meet Darren Criss lead her to realize that there is so much more in life to live for. Warning: Bad Language, Possible Triggers, and References that you may or may not understand :D
1. Ready

**CHAPTER ONE:**

"Come on, Angie! We should get ready soon!" I yelled to my roommate hurriedly.

"Okay, okay. Calm down! We still have six hours until the show actually starts," Angie Connoway replied with a mocking tone in her voice.

Angie is my best friend and she's basically like my sister. We've been through it all and we've been living together for about two years now. For my 24th birthday, she bought us tickets to go see the Starkids perform for the Apocalyptour on the other side of our city, Los Angeles.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited!" I exclaimed loudly with joy.

"I know you are and I'm glad! Hopefully it'll keep your mind off of things for a little while," Angie said with enthusiasm in her voice. She was obviously trying to make me even happier than I already was, but she did just the opposite.

I turned away from her and simply replied with a "mhm," rubbing the deep cuts on my wrist which all of a sudden started hurting. She walked over to me and saw the cuts, momentarily uncovered by my hand, quickly enough to realize that they were fairly new.

"Jamie, listen. What I'm trying to say is that you need a little break. You're so stressed out and too busy cutting yourself," she grabbed my wrist, "that you don't realize just how awesome life can be. I mean in another couple of hours, we are going to see a whole bunch of talented and amazing people!"

I nodded, gave her a big hug, and whispered delicately into her ear with tears in my eyes, "thank you so much."

She smiled and pulled away from my hug.

"You are very welcome. Now let me borrow one of those bracelets! They're amazing!" she said, pointing at the pile of homemade Starkid bracelets I had on the kitchen counter.

The bracelets were pretty big and I made them using string.

I lost my job a couple of months ago and was trying to save as much money as I could. Honestly, this concert is probably the most fun I'm going to have this year. I decided to dress up in my old clothes since I didn't have a Starkid shirt because of my saving money. I went to my closet and pulled out a nice casual light blue dress along with a denim jacket. I also grabbed a cute pair of sandals and aviator sunglasses. As for jewelry, I chose to put on simple flower earrings and of course, the homemade Starkid bracelets.

"You just look lovely as always!" Angie complimented when I stepped out of my room. She was wearing a Rumbleroar t-shirt that she got for her birthday from her sister a few months back.

"I gotta look nice if I'm going to meet Darren Freakin' Criss and all of the others! I still can't believe you got us full passes!" I replied with a quiet giggle and a cheeky smile.

"Well believe it. Now let's go! We might as well be there early," she said, grabbing her keys.

When we got out of the building, we hopped into her car and she played "Goin' Back to Hogwarts" on her iPod.

"Ready?" she asked with a smile as she was putting on her sunglasses.

"Ready," I answered excitedly, only imagining in my mind what surprises there were to come.

* * *

Jamie's outfit (on Polyvore)- cgi/set?id=52706475

"Goin' Back to Hogwarts" (on Youtube)- watch?v=onLHQzROass

{{A/N: I'm new at this and this is my very first published fanfic! Please give me feedback- good or bad! It would be greatly appreciated. I do realize that I did not really explain why she was cutting herself but I plan to reveal the reasons later in the story. So for now, I hope you enjoy!}}


	2. Cuts

**CHAPTER TWO:**

When we arrived at the House of Blues, there was already a moderate line of fellow devoted Starkids standing there. We waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, after what seemed like a century, the line started moving and we were able to get seats.

The concert went great and Angie and I were in line waiting to get the Starkids'autographs. I was so excited! In the distance, I could see Darren, Joey, Lauren, Brolden, Brosenthal, Jaime, Joe, Jim, Meredith, Nick, and Charlene with Sharpies in their hands.

When we finally got to the table, I could feel my heart beating so fast. These people in front of me were my inspiration. I planned to have little conversations with each of them and also show them my bracelets. I kept the bracelet writing on the top part of my wrist so they wouldn't see the cuts that were on the back of that wrist. The first two Starkids I met were Lauren and Joey. They were adorable as always and so nice! They loved my bracelets.

Then I got to Darren. His hazel eyes looked great in the lighting and I knew he was handsome, but he looked even more handsome in person.

"So, what's your name?" he asked, looking at me with his big, puppy dog eyes.

"Jamie. Uh yeah... my name's Jamie," I answered very nervously.

He smirked.

"No need to be nervous around me, Jamie. I'm a normal person. Like you," he said while signing my Starkid poster.

"Okay," I replied with a giggle, "Um.. so what do you think of my homemade Starkid bracelets?"

I showed him my right front wrist.

He unexpectedly grabbed my wrist to get a closer look. He flipped my wrist to see the other side where the two ends of the bracelets tied together. I let him look at that side of my wrist for a good 5 seconds because I was distracted by his fluffy hair and by the fact that Darren Freakin' Criss was holding my wrist. Then I realized...

The cuts.

They were on that side of my wrist.

They were exposed.

Darren Criss could see that I cut myself.

By the time I started getting back to reality, Darren already let go of my wrist and was writing something extra on my poster. He must've thought I was a freak! That was probably what he was writing on my poster:

_**Jamie,**_

_** You're a freak!**_

_** I hate you.**_

_** Hate,**_

_** Darren Criss**_

When he looked back up at me, he made a hand motion for me to lean in closer to him over the table. He whispered in my ear, "Jamie, please don't do this to yourself. If you ever- and I mean EVER need anyone to talk to, feel free to call or text me. Just please.. please don't hurt yourself."

I pulled my head away from him and he had a concerned look on his face. I looked straight into his hazel eyes, pulled a fake smile, and politely said "thanks". I glanced behind me and saw the line of people starting to look impatient, so I quickly finished the rest of the autographs without trying to read what was on my poster.

Once Angie and I reached the end of the line, I looked at my poster. I found Darren's little message to me:

_**Hey Jamie! **_

_** You look really pretty today haha! **_

_** Darren Criss**_

_** p.s. Stay strong!**_

Under all of that, he had written a phone number. My eyes grew wide at this point.

"Jamie... Jamie?" Angie walked in front of me and firmly held my shoulder with a look of worry in her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Dar.. Darren Criss just gave me his.. his phone number," I replied, still very shocked.


	3. Numbers

**CHAPTER THREE:**

_(A/N: I'm sorry that the story is going slow, everyone! After reading a few other Darren Criss fanfics, I realized that my chapters are shorter than all the other fic's are. Just give me some time to build up the background story and I promise that it'll be all Jamie and Darren's friendship. I couldn't get myself to making their meeting unrealistic so I have to build a whole background story. PLEASE give feedback! Warning: bad language. Starkid References. In this world, Mia Swier did not go out with Darren at around the time of the Apocalyptour. Darren is single. Here are some faces to help you imagine each character in your head as you're reading: Jamie-tanner version of Vanessa Hudgens, Angie- brunette version of Emma Stone. )_

She looked at me with wild eyes that showed obvious amazement.

"What! He did not!" she exclaimed, reaching for the signed poster. Once she saw the number, she squealed with a hint of fangirl. Some other girls near us looked towards our direction. To distract her so she wouldn't catch anybody else's attention, I grabbed the poster and excitingly said, "race you to the car!"

We started running.

Once we got to the car, we declared Angie as the winner. She was always faster than me.

"Oh my wizard God! That was fun!" Angie said with a tiresome voice and steady panting.

"Yeah. If you call almost falling down a flight of steps, security guards telling us to slow down, and running into a whole bunch of people fun, then yeah! I was fun!" I said with sarcasm and laughter in my voice.

Angie got her car keys out of her pocket and pressed the button to unlock the doors. I carefully put the poster in the car first. The last thing I wanted to happen was for the poster to get so torn up that I couldn't read the phone number that was written on it. Once I got myself into the car, I instantly saved the number as a contact in my phone: Darren C. :D

When we got home, I decided not to text the number until tomorrow to check if it was legit. If it was the real Darren, I didn't want to text too soon because he would probably think I was just another crazy fangirl, which I must admit, at times I was.

Angie and I sat down on the couch and watched A Little Mermaid. By the time it was finished, we were both incredibly tired. I told her good night, gave her a big bear hug for my awesome birthday present, then headed to my room. I jumped into my p.j.'s, brushed my teeth, and turned off the lights. When I finally did get to my bed, I just started to look through my phone. I felt the urge to go through my contacts just to make sure it wasn't a dream and when I got to Darren C. :D, I was relieved. I thought to myself, tomorrow you are going to have a conversation with him. He will be your friend and maybe even become a best friend... at that point, I started fantasizing and drifting into a deep sleep, phone in hand.

The next day went by horribly slow. I spent most of it looking online for jobs in Los Angeles that I could apply for. I guess the fact that I was so excited for 9:00 p.m. to come was also making the day feel slower than it actually was. 9:00 was the time I decided would be alright to text the number Darren gave me.

6:45 p.m.

The clock read that time, so I thought I'd go eat and kill some time. Angie wasn't going to come home from work until 10. I decided on Easy-Mac for dinner. Then, I pulled up YouTube on my iPod and started watching A Very Potter Musical.

8:59 p.m.

Holy shit. Hoooly Shiiiit.

Wait. Maybe he's busy right now. He's probably hanging out with the Starkids or something.

_Oh goodness. I was doing exactly what I was hoping I wouldn't do; make excuses to not text him. Pull yourself together, Jamie. It's not like you're calling him. One text. Come on,_ I thought to myself.

I composed a new message on my phone. Slowly and hesitantly, I typed:

_[9:01 P.M.] Hi Darren. It's Jamie from the Starkid concert last night. I just wanted to check if this number was legit haha. Sorry for bothering you._

I sent the message. Fuck. He's gonna think I'm a creep.

10 minutes passed.

20 minutes..

40..

Oh no.

All of a sudden, my phone beeped: **New message from _Darren C._** _**:D**_

My heart skipped a beat. He replied. It might be Darren, it might be a complete stranger but oh my gosh! A new text just came from that number! I took a deep breath and tapped on my phone to open the message. It read:

[9:42P.M.] Jamie! I was afraid you would never text me and just ignore the number aha. And no. You're not bothering me! Sorry it took so long. I was having a late coffee with Joey and the rest of the Starkids. Forgive me? :)

I giggled. He's so adorable!

I replied:

_[9:43 P.M.] I'm guessing this is the right number? And yes. I forgive you. (:_

Keep it simple. Send.

Two minutes later my phone flashed:

[9:44 P.M.] You better ;) I'm so sorry Jamie but I gotta go. We're thinking of going to a club. Text me later?

I replied with a simple "_Ok (: Have fun!_"

And that was the end of my first text conversation with Darren Criss, my new friend.


	4. Call Me

__**CHAPTER FOUR:**

_(A/N: I feel like I should warn you.. there will be a whole chapter that has nothing to do with DC. It'll build up to the initial non cellular 2nd meeting of Jamie and Darren. So please read it to understand future references. Once more, please give feedback. I'm like a lost puppy. I don't know where I'm going with this first fic.)_

Several weeks passed since Darren and I first texted eachother and it was already the middle of July. Darren and I began texting more and eventually became texting buddies. Angie got used to the fact that I was friends with a celebrity.

The conversations Darren and I had were just regular friend talk. Nothing too personal but we became closer friends. We never called each other and didn't intend on actually seeing each other in person anytime soon. Then one day, he sent me:

[9:28 P.M.] Jamie, we obviously have a nice friendship blooming, so why don't we call each other tonight?

This was big for me. I mean.. Darren only gave me his number in the first place for the case of an emergency where I really needed to talk to someone. Now, he wanted to call me to have a normal conversation as friends?

I replied:

_[9:29 P.M.] Yeah. That sounds like a great idea. (:_

Several minutes later, my phone lit up:

**Call From _Darren C. :D_**

I tapped the **Accept** option and quickly cleared my throat:

_Hello?_

Hey Jamie!

_Hey Dare!_

Wow. It's been a while since I actually heard your voice.

_It has.._

So, as you may or may not know, I'm in San Diego right now. I checked and my schedule will be clear during the first week I get back from over here. Basically, what I'm trying to say is... do you want to go hang out next week? I think it would be really fun!

_..._

Jamie.. are you there?

_Uhh.. yeah. Yeah! I'm here._

Soo.. whatcha think?

_It sounds great! What were you thinking of us doing?_

Well, it would be no fun if I just told you! It'll be a surprise!

_Surprises? That's cheesy._

Yeah. Well who said I wasn't cheesy?

_Okay.. whatever, Dare._

Alright. Now, I'm sad to say that I'm gonna be busy for the rest of this week and probably won't be able to text you. I'll be back Sunday. Just make sure you're at the Reynold's Cafe nearest the House of Blues at 11 A.M. sharp on Monday, okay?

_Okay!_

Alright. Well I'm gonna go watch a movie. Have a good night, Jamie.

_You too, Darren._

Bye.

_Bye._

I hung up and then squealed my little heart out. In a couple days, I would be spending a whole week with Darren. This occasion was worth buying new clothes! I decided that I would go on a shopping spree (the only shopping spree this year) with Angie. I hesitated at first because of my lack of a job, but Darren is worth it. I hopped into bed with a smile on my face and Darren on my mind.

Monday finally came and I was getting ready. I approached my closet and carefully chose what I was going to wear from the new clothes I bought from the shopping spree. I finally picked out an outfit. I clothed myself with a casual blue and brown dress with spaghetti straps. I added a cute brown belt. I also wiggled a blue and brown bracelet on my wrist. I walked into the bathroom that was connected to my bedroom. I grabbed my curling iron and curled here and there. They weren't fancy curls, but they would do. As for makeup, I decided to go simple with it. I used a little bit of brown eyeshadow to give my eyelids a smoky look. Then, I applied eyeliner and mascara. Not too much, though. Finally, I finished my makeup with a coat of lip gloss. I picked up the sunglasses that I wore to the Starkid concert. Before I knew it, I was ready for coffee with Darren Criss.

Angie was already at work, so I had to call a taxi.

"Reynold's Cafe on the other side of the city, please?" I politely told the cabbie my destination.

By the time I got to the coffee shop, it was 10:47. Once I got through the front doors of the cafe, which made a ringing sound when I came in, I walked to the order station to get myself the supply of coffee I needed for the day. There weren't a lot of people in the coffee shop so the line wasn't too long. Now I know why Darren picked this place rather than the Starbucks on the other side of the street. When I got to the front of the line, I was facing a semi-muscular guy with bright blue eyes and jet black hair. His name tag read Jessie.

"I would like a caffe mocha, please," I said with a slight smile.

"Will that be all for the pretty lady?" he asked with a half wink. Flirty. I like it.

"Yes. I believe so," I said sternly, remembering that I was there to meet Darren for coffee; not flirt with the guy who was serving it to me.

"Coming right up," he sweetlly said as he was walking away to make my coffee. That was odd. He didn't personally make anyone else's coffee who was in front of me came back to the cash register about a minute later and handed me my caffe mocha as he put down a pen he was holding in his other hand.

"That'll be on me," he said with his flirty voice.

" Thank you.. very much," I replied with a smirk. After that, I went to grab a seat near the big windows so Darren could see me easily when he walked in.

**11:00 A.M.**, my phone read.

_Showtime._

20 minutes passed.

_Where is he?_

I grabbed my phone:

[11:20 A.M.] Hey._ Where are you?_

No reply.

Another 20 minutes and several unanswered phone calls and texts later, I was still sitting there alone with my empty cup of coffee. Jessie wasn't working the register anymore and instead was wiping off some tables. Then, he walked up to me.

"Waiting for someone?" he asked with a tone in his voice that made it apparent that he saw girls being stood up here at least once every two days.

"Oh yeah. Um.. just a friend," I answered with a sigh.

"Well, I'd hate to break it to you but he's probably not coming," Jessie said, "They _never_ end up coming."

As he walked away, I looked down at the tiled floor._ Jessie wasn't trying to be rude or anything. He was just helping you face the truth, Jamie. Darren probably forgot all about you and your stupid coffee, I thought to myself._

Before tears started piling up in my eyes, I got up from my chair and headed to the nearest trash can to throw my coffee cup away. Just as I was about to do that, something on the container caught my eye. It was a phone number. I looked over towards Jessie's direction. He saw me, gave me a wink, and signaled _Call Me_.

Such. A. Flirt.

Jamie's outfit for coffee: out_for_coffee/set?id=53807710

Jessie: Black haired version of Chace Crawford


	5. Cry

**CHAPTER FIVE:**_  
_

_(A/N: I realized that Jamie's full name hasn't been revealed yet! Well, let's switch up the POV's a little bit! Warning: Bad Language and frequent POV changing. Don't worry. I will not be changing the POV this often in future chapters. This was just a kinda emotional scene so I wanted to get every angle of it. Oh and with the text messages and crap, Darren's always plain font, Jamie always italics, and Angie is always surrounded by asterisks. Feedback appreciated (: Still haven't got one single comment on my work yet. Come on people!)_

**Darren's POV**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I woke up Tuesday morning to the annoying sound of my parents' guest room alarm clock. I automatically smacked the snooze button.

"Come on Darren! You've gotta leave in an hour!" I heard my mom yell from downstairs, "Make sure your phone is charged, sweetie!"

Shit. My phone. It's been out of battery since Sunday and I never even bothered to charge it. I swear, the battery on my phone is a piece of shit. I lazily dragged myself out of bed and walked to my jeans from yesterday, which contained my cell phone in its pocket. I grabbed my phone charger out of my brown suitcase and plugged my phone in:

**TEN MISSED CALLS**

**ELEVEN NEW MESSAGES**

I unlocked my phone and saw that most of the calls and messages were from Jamie.

F-U-C-K.

I completely forgot! The coffee. Darren, you messed up this time. Bad.

**Calling _Jamie Morales :)_**

**Jamie's POV**

I was in this kitchen eating breakfast when my phone flashed:

**Call from _Darren C. :D_**

I really wanted to ignore it, but I had to be mature about this. Accept.

Jamie! I am so, so, SO a hundred times sorry! My parents.. they asked me to do this and that and then they wanted to know if I could stay with them for a couple... Jamie? Are you there?

_Yeah..._

Listen. I know you're probably so pissed at me right now and I wouldn't blame you, but as I was saying.. my parents asked me to stay with them for the weekend plus yesterday. My phone was out of battery so I am so sorry for not answer your calls and forgetting to tell you.

_Ok..._

Jamie. I'll make it up to you. I swear. We can hang out at my place and watch a movie or something tonight. I'm getting ready to come back to LA right now..

_Darren, I would love to, but I have a date tonight. I'm sorry._

Oh...

_Yeah. His name is Jessie and he's super sweet. I met him at the cafe yesterday when I was waiting for you._

That's um.. cool.

_And I think we should just wait a little bit longer until we see each other, Darren. I really gotta focus on finding a job. Money's kind of tight for me right now._

Jamie...

_Bye Darren._

**Call Ended.**

My throat all of a sudden went dry and my eyes started tearing up. Next thing I knew, I was crying my eyes out.

**Darren's POV**

Jamie...

_Bye Darren._

**Call Ended.**

Oh god. The thought that I hurt her feelings killed me on the inside. I gave her my number at that concert in case she was ever crying and needed someone to talk to. She was probably in that situation right now and the reason for it would be me. What if she started cutting herself again? No. I can't let that happen.

**Angie's POV**

I was walking into the dining room and saw Jamie next to her phone... crying. I ran over to her.

"Jamie! What's wrong, hun? Don't cry. Please don't cry," I said in a soothing voice, comforting her.

"Darren," she managed to squeak out while crying.

I hugged her after I realized that she physically couldn't say anymore because of how hard she was crying. Once she settled down, she explained why she was upset. When she finished, I was mad. M-A-D.

"Aw sweetie. I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me yesterday? Listen. Me, you, ice cream. Let me just go get my purse real quick," I said in the calmest voice I could fake. As I got up from the dining table seat, I swiftly snatched Jamie's phone and hid it in my short's pocket.

When I got to my room, I pulled out Jamie's phone and quickly went through her contacts. I found _**Darren C. :D**_ and copied the number into my phone.

**Darren's POV**

I was in a black SUV on my way back to Los Angeles, when all of a sudden my phone beeped. It was notifying me of a text message from a number that wasn't in my contacts. _Oh no. Not another crazy fan who managed to get my number. Please don't be._ I unlocked my phone and opened the message:

[10:32 A.M.] *You little shit. Learn to charge and use your phone once in a while, asshole.*

[10:33 A.M.] Who is this?

[10:35 A.M.] *Angie. Jamie Morales' best friend. I'm a big fan of yours Darren, but seriously . Get your shit together.*

[10:35 A.M.] Is Jamie okay?

[10:38 A.M.] *Yeah.. now she is. She was bawling earlier.*

[10:39 A.M.] I HAVE to see her.

[10:44 A.M.] *Haha. No. You should do the opposite. She's a sensitive person and she's hurt okay? But this one guy named Jessie seems to be the only thing keeping her from you know.. hurting herself. Just give her some space.*

[10:45 A.M.] So... what? Should I just stop talking to her for a while?

[10:46 A.M.] *Yes.*

* * *

_Note: If you're wondering why Jamie would possibly just stop talking to Darren Freakin' Everett Criss, just remember... they have been talking for a while and now Jamie thinks of him as a friend rather than a big celebrity. So therefore, he will be treated like a friend._


	6. Jessie

**CHAPTER SIX:**_  
_

_(A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been really busy lately, but I'm back! Plus I had an idea for a different fic and didn't want to forget the plot so I wrote a one-shot. If you would like to read it, go to my profile. It is called "It Would Kill Me". So yeah.. this is the chapter that is mostly focused on Jessie and not Darren. Please read it though! And feedback is what? Greatly appreciated! Note: Jessie's texts and call will always be surrounded with carrots)_

"Thank you so much for the lovely dinner, " I thanked Jessie as I lightly held on to my striped dress.

For my first date with Jessie, I wore a plain white cardigan over a red and white striped dress. I put my hair into a simple high ponytail and put on gold and silver bangles. I didn't feel like wearing heels because they hurt after a while, so I slipped on my red converse before I left the house.

"You're very welcome, Jamie" he replied with the cutest smile.

We smiled for a little while, just gazing into eachother's eyes. Then, he leaned in closer to me. Once his face was close to mine, he hesitated, unsure whether I wanted to kiss him or not. I gave him the message that I wanted to kiss him by gently touching my lips with his. Jessie smiled while we were kissing and put his right hand on my cheek. After a minute of constant, passionate kissing, I pulled away.

"Jessie.. as much as I would love to make out with you all night, I have a job interview tomorrow," I told him.

"Okay. Have a goodnight," he pulled me into a hug. His chest was so warm. His voice so dreamy. I didn't want to say goodbye, but I had to.

"You too. Again, thank you," I pulled away from the hug. As I walked towards the front door of my apartment building, I waved bye.

After I pulled off my converse, my phone buzzed. It was a text message from Jessie:

[11:23 P.M.] Good luck with your interview tomorrow, beautiful. :)

I smiled like an idiot. He called me _beautiful_. I replied:

[11:24 P.M.] _Thanks, handsome (;_

Spending time with Jessie definitely made my sucky day so much better. Darren's face popped up in my mind. I missed him. Maybe I overreacted earlier. Yeah.. I overreacted. I should probably apologize.

[11:26 P.M.] _Hey Darren. I'm super sorry about earlier. Please don't be mad. _

I went to my bedroom and put on a movie quietly. Angie was asleep in the room across from me. I fell asleep waiting for a response from the two guys, but neither replied.

The day after, my job interview went great. When I called Jessie telling him the wonderful news, he asked me out on another date. The second date went great and Jessie asked me to be his boyfriend. I accepted his offer. Afterwards, I got an email telling me that I got the job. I now work at the Starbucks across from Reynold's Cafe. It was a long ride but it was worth working in the coffee shop across from my boyfriend. This made it easier for us to have a date almost every night and that's exactly what we did. He made me so happy but as my relationship with Jessie grew, my friendship with Darren lessened. We barely talked anymore.. One time, he answered one of my texts, but his reply was really short. Things just became awkward between us so I didn't bother. I have Jessie and he is so important to me. He cares about me. I care about him. We're perfect for eachother.

**Darren's POV**

I missed Jamie... so much. Usually I don't miss fans, but Jamie was different. She talked to me as if I was a normal person. I feel so bad for barely replying her texts, but I know that she's happy with Jessie. If she was with me, she would probably have paparazzi following her everywhere. She was better off with him.

_Three months later_

**Jessie's POV**

Damn. My girlfriend's fucking hot. DAMN! Her everything amazes me. Her eyes, her hair, her umm... boobs. HOT! I called her up:

Hey babe.

_Hey._

Want to come over tomorrow? We can watch a movie or something.

_That sounds great._

Okay. I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow night.

_Alright. I'm gonna go to bed _

Mhm.. Love you.

_Love you too._

**Call Ended.**

I'm bored of this slow moving shit. Tomorrow night, I'm having sex, whether she likes it or not.

**Jamie's POV**

"He wants you to come over tomorrow?" Angie asked me with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah... what's the big deal? Angie, can I tell you something?" I asked her.

"Of course you can, hun. What is it?"

"Jessie.. he's been making me really uncomfortable lately"

"Really? How?"

"He's been more aggressive when we would make out. A little too passionate, you know?"

"Did you ask him to slow it down a little bit?"

"Well yeah. I have. He just gets mad whenever I ask him. I don't even.. I don't even think I love him anymore, Angie."

Her eyes widened at my statement.

"Seriously? Because if what you're telling me the truth, I would break it off as soon as I can."

"That's what I think I'm going to do tomorrow," I sighed.

I put on pajama pants and a simple Hollister t-shirt for movie night with my boyfriend, soon to be ex-boyfriend. My hair was in a messy bun.

Jessie picked me up at 8 like he said he would. Once we got to his apartment, he took his shirt off and quickly put in a movie. Before I could even get a seat on the couch, he started making out with me. I couldn't resist. We ended up on the couch, still making out. I didn't even know what movie was playing. After about 15 minutes of kissing, he started pulling at the hem of my pajama pants. I hesitated.

"No.." I whispered.

Jessie ignored me and kept going. He started kissing down my neck and damn it felt good but I couldn't do this. We've only been going out for 3 months. He's hot and all but I honestly lost my feelings for him.

"Stop. Now," I commanded. He pulled away.

"What's wrong with you? We've been going out for forever now. Just do it with me. This one time. Come on, babe."

"Don't call me that."

"Listen. I can call you whatever the fuck I want to call you, bitch."

When he called me this, tears started building up in my eyes. He's changed.

"What did you call me?" I asked, raising my voice.

"I called you a bitch. If you won't have sex with me, you're not worth it," he answered. I looked down at the floor, "Wait.. did you actually think that I actually fucking loved you? No. Of course I didn't."

"We're done!" I yelled while running out of the door, tears streaming down my face.

"I guess we are! Worthless bitch.."

I called Angie:

_Please pick me up. Now._

*How did things -*

_Shut up and pick me up.. please._

**Call Ended.**

Once Angie got to the apartment, I looked back at the window where Jessie's apartment would be. His words hurt..bad.

"Are you okay, hun?" a concerned Angie asked me once I got in the car.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, buckling my seatbelt in.

I spent the entire car ride looking out the window, silently crying. When we got to our apartment, I went straight to my room and slammed my door shut. I didn't mean to ignore Angie. I just didn't want to talk about it. Actually, now that I think about it, I do want to talk about it. Just not with her.. but with Darren. I went to my contacts and called **_Darren C. :D_**. He probably won't answer but I might as well try. Two rings. Three rings. Four.:

Jamie? Uh.. hi.

_Darren. Hi._

Are you crying?

_Mhm.. Please come meet me. I need you. I miss you._

Right now?

_Yes. Right now.. if that's okay, I mean._

Yeah of course it's okay. Meet me in front of the House of Blues.

_Okay.._

Alright. I'll see you soon.

**Call Ended.**

I wiped my tears, put on jeans and kept my Hollister shirt on. I told Angie that I was going to take the car and grabbed the keys. I drove as legally fast as I could and when I got there, I saw a figure in pink sunglasses and a beanie. Sunglasses.. at night? I got out of the car and walked to the figure.

"Hi Jamie," Darren said to me with his familiar voice.

* * *

Date Night Outfit (On Polyvore): /date_night/set?id=54625696

Movie Night Outfit (On Polyvore): /movie_night/set?id=54626140


	7. A Whole New World

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

_(A/N: I AM SUPERDUPERSOSOSOSOSOMUCH SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATE. I just got back from Pennsylvania and I did not have much time to write! Here it is though! Chapter Seven! And if you're confused about the setting of the story now, it is in autumn. Mid-october. Sorry if I don't describe Darren's home right. But this is my fanfic so yeah.. Enjoy and please give feedback!)_

For some reason, the simple fact of him being there just because I asked him to made my nose sting and my eyes water. Salty tears started streaming down my face.

"Darren.." I muttered, walking closer to him and extending my arms for a hug.

Quickly taking off his sunglasses and hanging them on his back jeans pocket, he accepted my request and spread his arms wide for me. I buried my head in his jacket and I smelled a faint scent of musky cologne. His warm arms surrounded me and as an attempt to give comfort, he sweetly ran his hand through my dark hair.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked me.

"The guy..Jessie. Remember him?" I replied.

Darren pulled away from the hug, took off his grey-and-black patterned scarf and used it to gently wipe the tears off of my face.

"Yes. I remember."

"Well.. we've been dating for a couple of months and he was making me really uncomfortable. I didn't want him anymore. He was treating me wrong and I just-"

"Jamie, if you felt like you did the right thing, you probably did. Don't blame yourself. If he was pushing you, you need to know that you don't deserve that."

"But I do. I do deserve it. My friends are miserable because of me. I'm miserable because of me. I don't know what to do, Dare," I said, tears escaping my eyes once more.

"Here. How about we walk over to my place, I put a movie on, and we can just talk?" he offered, as he wiped my flowing tears with the sleeve of his shirt. I nodded, making sure to keep eye contact with him.

He extended his hand towards me.

"Do you trust me?" he asked in his best Aladdin voice, obviously trying to reenact the famous Disney scene.

"Yes," I answered hesitantly, acting like Jasmine as I clasped my hand together with his.

He smiled and we started walking away from the House of Blues, into an alley that lead to a quieter street. He started singing:

_"I can show you the world_

_ Shining, shimmering, splendid_

_ Tell me, princess, now when did_

_ You last let your heart decide?"_

I giggled. The street lights' reflections gleamed in his eyes, making the hazel visible to me as he was singing. He continued:

_"I can open your eyes_

_ Take you wonder by wonder _

_ Over, sideways and under_

_ On a magic carpet ride_

_A whole new world_

_ A new fantastic point of view_

_ No one to tell us no or where to go_

_ Or say we're only dreaming"_

He lightly shook my hand as he was holding it.

"Your turn," he informed me.

I rolled my eyes in the semi-darkness and quietly sang:

_"A whole new world_

_ A dazzling place I never knew_

_ But when I'm way up-"_

Darren interrupted me, "No. That won't work. Sing louder!"

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"Yes."

I hesitated, looked away, then started the verse over:

_"A whole new world_

_ A dazzling place I never knew_

_ But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear_

_ That now I'm in a whole new world with you_

_ Now I'm in a whole new world with you"_

We continued singing the song, still walking hand-in-hand. I was surprised to not hear him laughing at my singing, so I looked over at him. We then needed to end the song together:

_"For you and me"_

"Wow Jamie," Darren said with a smile, looking at me, "You have a beautiful voice."

I blushed. Luckily, it was nighttime and he couldn't see my face. It was probably as red as a tomato.

"Thanks Darren, but you don't have to lie. Really."

"I'm not lying. Well, we're here," he replied.

I didn't even notice that we were walking near two large black gates that opened up to a nice house. It wasn't large like a mansion, but it wasn't very small either. The house looked like it was made out of very nice rock and it was tannish colored. There was also a reddish brown garage connected to it. Security lights turned on and Darren pulled away from my grasp. He entered a few digits onto a key pad that was on a small, thin box that stuck out from the left gate. After that, he pulled out a bunch of keys that were connected with a key ring from the same back pants pocket that carried his sunglasses. He separated a thick black key from the others and inserted it into the key hole on the right gate. A quiet _click _could be heard and Darren pulled the right gate open, further and further away from the left one. He motioned me to come through the gate and that's exactly what I did. He followed behind me and closed the gate, locking it by entering what I was guessing was the same digits onto another key pad which stuck out from this side of the gate. He put his key back into his back pants pocket.

"You can never be too careful," he stated as we started walking again, no longer hand-in-hand, towards his house, "I'm just surprised paparazzi isn't here."

I quickly grabbed his arm to keep him from walking any further.

"You're famous. Why are you inviting a fan to come into your house? Especially one like me?"

"Jamie, when I first met you at the concert, I loved how you were just dressed nicely and not in a 20 some dollar Starkid tee-shirt.."

"That was because I couldn't afford one."

"Let me continue. As I was saying.. I was amazed at how flawless you were. Then, I saw your cuts. I wondered why such a pretty girl like you would do that to herself. I have seen hundreds of fans before you and quite a few of them had cuts too. But theirs were fading and they seemed to be doing better. Yours seemed new and I could tell that beneath those smiles, you just really need someone to talk to. I couldn't let you keep going like this so I gave you my number to contact me in case you needed me. Then, I remembered once you left that my agent was against me doing that type of thing, but I honestly didn't care. We started texting and I just wanted to meet you again," he said, giving me a faint smile. He continued, "Then, I screwed it all up. I regret not telling you that I couldn't make it. I'm so sorry for basically ignoring you for the past couple of months."

"Oh yeah.. why did you do that, anyway?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"I was really busy with Glee. And Angie told me to back off, so I did. You seemed to be so happy with Jessie. And that apparently didn't work out, so here we are. I'm here talking to you when you really need someone to talk to. I said I would be and when I say something, I mean it."

We just stood there for a little while, as if we were in a trance. Not speaking a word. Just staring into eachother's eyes. Darren broke the silence.

"Let's go in, shall we?" he said, positioning his hand behind my back and walking me to the front door of the house.

Once we reached the door, he pulled out a different key from that was slightly smaller than the key he used for the gate. He used it to unlock the front door and pushed the door in, revealing a very modern looking interior. _(A/N: Scroll to bottom for links to pictures/actual pictures of what Darren's house may look like!)_

"Wow," I whispered to myself.

"You like?" Darren said, very proud of himself as he presented his home. I nodded, eyes wide. Sure, there was a little bit of a mess here and there but the inside was still definitely nice and big.

He showed me to the long couch that was in front of a flat screen tv. As I sat down, he asked me for the jacket I was wearing and hung it on the coat hanger along with his. He walked over to the kitchen and leaned over to get popcorn from a cabinet in the island.

"So...what do you want to watch?" he asked as he put the popcorn in the microwave.

"Do you have Aladdin? I'm kinda in the mood to watch it now!" I answered enthusiastically.

"What a stupid question. Of course I have Aladdin!"

As the popcorn was getting heated, he grabbed _Aladdin _from the DVD cabinet that stood underneath the flat screen. He inserted the disk into the DVD player that was laying on top of the cabinet and turned on the speakers. _Surround sound? AWESOMENESS!_

Once the popcorn was finished popping, Darren pulled it out of the microwave and took two bowls from a cabinet. Then, he turned off the lights and walked towards me on the couch. He sat down next to me and gave me one bowl and poured a whole bunch of popcorn in it. Darren repeated the same process with his bowl and the popcorn. Afterwards, he snatched the TV remote from the empty cushion next to where I was sitting.

_Play._


	8. Wanted

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_(A/N: I ish VERY, VERY sorry for not updating for nearly a month. I have gotten into roleplaying and have spent a lot of my time doing that/ procrastinating/ being awesome. Welp. I forgot all the ideas I have brainstormed for the future chapters so we'll see how it goes! Here's the new chapter! Feedback appreciated.)_

As the previews and opening credits were playing, I tried to get as comfortable as I could next to Darren. I mean, if I just sat there stiff as a piece of wood, it would be really awkward. After a few minutes of not finding a comfortable enough position, Darren cleared his throat and chuckled a little.

"Are you having trouble?" he asked, raising his eyebrow a bit and wearing a grin on his face.

I playfully rolled my eyes and sighed.

"No. I'm just trying to be comfortable," I answered, still adjusting my position.

He looked at me for a little while before putting his arms behind me and around my shoulders. At that moment, a feeling of warmth and comfort quickly filled my body. He made me feel at home. He made me feel respected. He made me feel... right. After a while, I built up enough courage to lay my head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. I think he even smiled a little when I did that. The light flashing from the big television screen made me start feeling drowsy. I felt the urge to yawn and eventually did. Then, I felt Darren nudging at me a little.

"Are you okay there, sleepy head?" he said as he smiled softly at me. I lifted my head off of his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. The occasional bright flashes from the TV would reflect on his eyes, making it possible for me to see the nice hazel that it was colored.

I giggled in a tone of voice that made it obvious that I was getting more and more tired, since it was already most likely late at night. I looked down at the watch on my left hand and slightly raised my arm. Turning the dim green light on on my watch, it read **11:50. **Then, I looked back up at him.

"I should probably be getting back home. Sorry for invading your time like this Darren but thank you for being here," I said, starting to push myself off of my comfortable seat. Before I could get a firm footing on the floor, Darren reached toward me and gently held on to my arm, chuckling a little bit.

"You aren't invading my time, Jamie. It's fine, really. You don't have to go," he started, "If you want, you can stay here for the night. I have more than enough guest rooms."

I hesitated.

"Noo.. I don't want to bother you more than I already have"

"You're not bothering me if I want you here," he replied. He was grinning and I thought it was the most adorable thing ever. He _wanted_ me here? I couldn't be rude and reject his offer so I gave in.

"Hm.. okay," I said, tilting my head a little and biting my lip. I could see his smile widening as I started speaking more, "I'll stay for the ni-"

"Great! We can have a pillow fight and everything!" he exclaimed, like a little third grader. Even though he interrupted me, I didn't mind. It was just too cute and I couldn't help but smile and giggle at his reaction.

"Okay. Okay. Calm down, Dare," I said as I laughed a little bit. Then, I took my seat back next to him to finish watching the last 30 minutes of the Disney classic. He instantly wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him than I was before. My heart melted and I started watching again, more awake than I was before.

* * *

Sorry for ending it so short xD It's better than nothing, right? I really felt that this was a good place to stop PLUS I ran out of ideas so now I have a week to think of something exciting to happen? JARREN - That's the ship name oh yes.


	9. In His Arms

**CHAPTER NINE**

_(A/N: Oops. I forgot last week. Sorry bout that. Anyway, it's nice that you guys are requesting for an update, but I really am working on not procrastinating as much. Though, today I got homework done so I won't feel as bad if I write a new chapter :p, here it isss.)_

I woke up...

My eyes were still closed but I could feel that his arms were still around me, his scent still surrounded me, and that his warmth still made me feel so comfortable. More comfortable than any guy has ever made me feel. Opening my eyes, just a little bit, I could see that the movie was over and Darren was watching the L.A. news. I didn't want to move. Moving would mean him moving as well, and I didn't want that. I was just too comfortable, so I closed my eyes and sighed a happy sigh. Then, I felt him. I felt him playing with my hair, running his hand through it. Oh, this was just too lovely. I couldn't possibly show that I'm awake now. I kept my eyes shut and drifted deeper and deeper into an unconscious state.

I woke up again to Darren nudging me and muttering something in my ear.

"Hey you. Wake up. The movie's over," his voice was like an angel's. Was I dreaming? No. He continued speaking, "I'll grab you something to wear other than those jeans, although it'll probably be a little bit big on you."

He chuckled as got up and walked to what I suspected to be his room and I stayed seated on the couch, waiting for him and tapping my foot to keep myself entertained. Darren came back about a minute and a half later wearing his "Michigan Theater" t-shirt and plaid and navy blue pajama pants. He handed me a pair of pajama pants that were similar to his and I could see a grin on his face.

"Is this for me?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes, try it on," he said, smiling back and pointing to the bathroom down the hallway.

I nodded and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I unfolded the pants and put them in front of my jeans, looking in the mirror. They looked pretty big on me, but hey. It's better than nothing, right? I took off my jeans and replaced them with Darren's pajama pants. Everything was fine, except for the bottom. I chuckled as I saw...well didn't see my foot because the pants were covering them. I quickly fixed my hair and grabbed my jeans before opening and walking out of the bathroom door, shuffling and trying not to trip. Darren looked at me with a funny expression on his face.

"It looks cute on you!" he said enthusiastically, though I could hint a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

I shook my head, giggling.

"Suuure, it does," I replied, "So what are we gonna do now?"

Darren gave an evil smirk as he walked to the couch, grabbing two of the small pillows that was laying on it.

"Pillow fight."

My eyes widened.

"Oh no," I muttered under my breath.

"Oh yes.." he said, coming towards me confidently, holding a pillow in each hand.

* * *

Sorry! It's another short chapter! I've been so busy with school work lately xP I'm sooorrrrrryyyyyyy


	10. The Next Morning

**CHAPTER TEN**

_(A/N: Holy shit. I haven't updated in months. I'm so sorry to everyone who was waiting for a new chapter! I've been so caught up in personal stuff and school and there's also the fact that I was really lazy. Well, there's no school today and I'm in the writing mood and December-January calendar, half-naked Blaine Anderson inspired me to write another chapter. He's so sexy, I can't. Keep the reviews coming!)_

Dim, natural sunlight slipped through the window and past the curtains. I was still half asleep, but I could hear birds chirping and the quiet sound of a television that was still on. I could also hear soft snores. Not my snores. Someone else's. They weren't very loud, and I could just barely hear it. Opening my eyes, the light became brighter and I was more aware of my surroundings. I was sleeping on my side on a couch and the snoring came from the same couch, but on the opposite side from where my head laid. I obviously wasn't sleeping in the guest room, as originally planned. Slowly propping myself up, I saw that Darren was sleeping on the same couch and was snuggling a pillow.

As I woke up more, events from last night flooded in my mind. How him and I had a pillow fight and I won.. only because I'm sure he let me win. We also talked for a couple of hours. I told him about how things were between Jessie and I and he listened. He talked to me, heart to heart, and told me some personal stuff about himself too. He mentioned how he was so glad he met me and how even though he got in a bit of trouble with his manager, he didn't and will never regret giving me his number. He called me beautiful more than a few times and would always remind me how I deserve so much more than Jessie. After that, he kept the TV on and I guess we both just drifted off to sleep.

My stomach grumbled. The feeling of hunger struck me. Not wanting to wake Darren, I quietly and carefully slipped out of the couch. The bottom of the pajama pants I was wearing were still huge, so I bent down and rolled them up, tucking it in. Then, I walked over to the kitchen and took a look around the house. It really was beautiful in the morning. I would love waking up to this everyday for the rest of my life. I decided that I would be nice and make breakfast for the two of us. Everything was not hard to find and I got to work.

**DARREN'S POV**

The smell of bacon woke me up. Food. Yes. I opened my eyes and sat up slightly. Peeking up from behind the couch, I saw Jamie.. cooking. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she looked amazing. She had no make up on and she showed her natural beauty. She was humming what seemed to be "Not Alone". I really liked seeing her in this type of essence so I just stayed quiet, watching her cook. Then, she glanced over and saw me, giving me a soft smile. I smiled back and she stopped humming.

"I have breakfast almost finished," she said as she tilted her head a little bit, "I hope you don't mind that I did this. I was so hungry and I thought it would be mean if I just took your food and didn't make you any."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Jamie, you're fine. Thank you. It was very thoughtful of you," I replied with a grin.

Jamie kept that smile of hers and nodded, then turned around and continued what she was doing. She is so adorable. I am still so mad that someone could hurt her the way that that asshole Jessie did. If I ever run into this guy, I swear I'll kill him. If I was ever lucky enough to get to call Jamie "mine", I'd do everything I can to make sure I don't mess it up. Jamie.. she's so, what's the word? Oh yeah.. _perfect_.

When everything was finished cooking, she turned off the stove and put my meal on a plate for me.

"Eggs, bacon, and sausages. Enjoy."

"Thank you," I replied to her, looking at my food and taking a seat as I placed my plate on the island countertop. I could already taste the warm, delicious food in my mouth before I even took a bite.

"No problem," Jamie said as she took a seat next to me with a plate of food for herself.

For the first few minutes of eating, it was really awkward. We didn't really speak.. we just chewed and swallowed. Then, I heard her clear her throat.

"You don't know how thankful I am of you for letting me stay the night," she said softly as she looked at me, her eyes twinkling, "I was so tired last night after the movie. I probably wouldn't have been able to make it home without passing out."

I smiled at her and shrugged, "Listen, you don't have to thank me. It's what friends do."

"Well, you're a really good friend"

Jamie curled her lips a little and tilted her head a bit. Her brown puppy dog eyes gleamed, making her seem so innocent. I loved it. I wanted to agree with her about the whole 'good friend' thing, but I couldn't. I shook my head.

"A good friend.. would've talked to you for the past couple of months. Not avoid you."

She just looked at me. Jamie bit her lower lip for a second, thinking of what she was going to say to that. Then, her face became more firm and serious.

"Darren, if Angie told you to leave me alone, you were only listening to her. I mean.. if you thought it was the best thing to do, you meant no harm. Sure, I was kind of hurt but.." she looked like she was going to say more, but hesitated,"l-let's just forget that ever happened. We're talking now and that's all that matters."

I sighed a sigh of relief. She wasn't mad and was willing to put this all behind us. I was really starting to value our friendship more and more. Jamie Morales meant something to me. I haven't felt this way about somebody in forever. Is this good or bad? I have no idea.

**JAMIE'S POV**

I was waiting for a response. Darren seemed to be deep in thought. Did he like what I said? Was he unsure? Did he sigh because he's bored of me talking? I didn't like how awkward this was becoming, so I faked a cough and looked down at my watch.

"Wow. 10? I should really get going. Angie's probably worried sick. I'll.. I'll call you later," I said as I quickly got up and took my empty plate as well as his plate. I placed it in the dishwasher and I heard Darren get up too.

"You're leaving so early?" he asked, sounding kind of sad.

I didn't turn around. I really didn't want to see his hazel eyes and cute face begging me to stay longer. I really did need to get home.

I nodded, "Yeah, I am. I'm sorry, but I have work later and I didn't call Angie and.. I- I'm sorry. I really got to go soon."

He nodded, still looking kind of confused about why I was leaving all of a sudden. I felt like such a jerk, but I did just remember that I had work at 1. I rushed to the bathroom and quickly changed into my jeans. Then, I went out holding Darren's pajama pants that he let me use for the night. He was still standing where he was before, his hands in his pajama pant pockets.

"I can walk you back to your car," he offered, smiling softly and generously.

"No, that's fine. I'll call you later or something. Have a good day," I said, calming my nerves a little bit and progressively slowing down my speaking.

Darren looked down as if he was disappointed of my answer, but then he looked up at me, forcing a small smile on his face.

"Okay, well drive safe and I'll be waiting for you call," he replied. Darren gently grabbed my arm, leaned towards me, then softly touched my lips with his for just a split second and hugged me.

_Holy shit._

I smiled as he pulled away. That was literally all I could do. I was almost frozen. Was that some kind of friendly Los Angeles gesture that I didn't know about? Probably. It probably didn't even mean anything. Well, at least to him it probably didn't.

"Bye Dare," I backed away and gave a short wave to him.

I walked back to the main street and regretted not accepting his offer of walking back with me. As I got into the car, I realized that I already missed Darren. I tried to remind myself that he was only a friend, but he was all that I could think about for the rest of the day.


	11. More Than Friends

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_(A/N: Hello all! I'm glad that in the past couple of months my fic has grown in favorites, reviews, and follows. It means a lot to me; especially the feedback! Well, here's a new chapter (: I'll try to update more, but you guys can almost be certain that I'll be updating way more often once summer comes. Oh, and a new familiar character will be joining in this chapter! Enjoy for now!)_

**DARREN'S POV**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

I heard a faint knock, but was too lazy to open my eyes. Who the hell is up this early in the morning and why are they ruining my sleep? I just rolled around the couch so my belly was below me and against the cushioning. Agitated, I took the small pillow that was underneath my face and covered the back of my head with it.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

I groaned. Why does everyone hate me when I'm trying to sleep?

"Go away," I muttered, still with my eyes closed.

_KNOCK._

_ KNOCK._

At that point, I kicked my legs up, opened my eyes, and got off the couch. A few more loud knocks came from outside as I stormed towards the door. Opening it, a huge wave of light crashed into my poor eyes and I was forced to squint them. I extended my elbow and leaned against the side of the door frame. Joey's figure stood in front of me.

"Why?" I simply asked him.

I saw Joey raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"Um, maybe because I just got back from my two day trip and I forgot my house key," he said to me as he took a step inside. I opened the door wider so he could get in. "Dude, it's two in the afternoon. What were you doing still asleep?"

I didn't respond. I heard the words he was saying but kinda zoned out. Joey helped me get back to reality by snapping his fingers right in front of my face.

"Wha?"

"What is wrong with you? You're usually never like this. What time did you go to sleep last night?" he asked, obviously concerned.

I took my hand and rubbed the back of my neck with it, trying to remember when I finally did fall asleep the night previous. Not having a clue, I just shrugged.

"I have no idea. I do know that I stayed up pretty late texting this one girl and sh-"

He cut me off midsentence.

"Girl? What girl?" he asked, seeming interested and closing the door behind us.

"Uh.. the same one from a couple months ago. Jamie."

Joey nodded as if he knew who I was talking about. Though, he also seemed slightly confused as if he wasn't sure whether I was talking about Jaime from Michigan or Jamie from the concert. Before the break Jamie and I had from talking, I wouldn't speak about her that much around him, but when I did, I would ramble on and on about the conversations we would have. I'm sure he knew which Jamie I was talking about.

"So. Are you two... you know, talking?" he asked, smirking a little bit.

"Talking? What? Nooo," I said in a tone of voice that proposed the idea that I thought he was crazy for thinking something like that. It was kind of ironic since deep inside, I knew that I wished that her and I could be talking. "We're just.. just friends."

"Mhm. Sure. But you want to be more than friends, don't you?"

The thing about having a best friend like Joey is that he knows exactly what you're thinking and feeling, even if you don't know and realize it yourself.

**JAMIE'S POV**

The alarm clock on my bedside table read **11:45 AM**.

_Shit._

Rushing off of my bed, I ran into the bathroom and started getting ready for work. I took a quick shower, put on my uniform, grabbed my phone, and shuffled to the door. Angie was already gone so I had to take a cab to work. Luckily, I got there in time.

The day seemed to go by really fast and when I had my break at 5, I realized that I had not looked at my phone since I fell asleep. I picked it up from my unmade bed earlier so I guessed that I fell asleep texting Darren. Before I unlocked the phone, several banners were popping up on the lock screen. I apparently had two missed calls from Angie and one new text from Darren. After I unlocked it, the iMessage screen popped up, showing an unfinished message that I never sent. I was literally midsentence when I crashed off to sleep. The same screen showed the message from him that I was replying to and another one he sent later:

[3:47 A.M.] Well, I'm guessing you fell asleep. I hope you wake up early enough for work! Good night... technically morning, gorgeous :)

I couldn't help but smile while reading the text. I had my legs crossed, chin resting on the palm of my left hand, and I was giggling. I must've looked like an idiot. I was so caught up and distracted by the text that I didn't even realize a certain guy walking in and heading towards me. When I realized just who it was, the smile on my face was gone and I locked my phone. I was in such a good mood, but this completely ruined it.

"I've got to talk to you," Jessie told me, taking a seat on the chair across from me.


	12. Life Is More Than You See

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_(A/N: Here it is! The 12th chapter! I really am grateful for the feedback, guys (: Keep adding more! Anyway, here we gooooo)_

"Jessie, what are you doing here?" I asked him sternly, avoiding as much eye contact as possible.

"I came here to..."

_ Oh no. He probably came here to tell me off or something._

"To?"

"I just wanted to apologize," he hesitated for a moment before taking his hands and placing them on mine on the table, "Baby girl, I didn't know what I was saying. I didn't mean anything I said that night."

My eyes began to water and I pulled my hands away from his. I placed them and my phone on my lap and looked down at my slightly warm hands.

Jessie continued, "I know you're still upset baby, but I was hoping you could give me another chance? I love you and.. and I'm willing to take it slow if that's what you want. Please, Jamie? Please take me back?"

I just sat there in silence. A part of me really wanted him back. But the other part of me knew better than to just take him back again. He already hurt me before. Was he really trustworthy? Was it possible for someone to change in a couple days time?

He broke the silence.

" I miss you like crazy."

I missed him too. I missed the kisses and hand holding and I also really missed the dinners and movie dates. Although all of those things were really nice things to experience, I knew that Jesse wasn't the only guy I could have those types of memories with. As the expression goes, 'there's plenty of fish in the sea'. For example, there's also a small fish with short curly hair and the most adorable smile. His name is Darren. He's already a close friend and he treats me right. He's silly, sweet, a gentleman...

"I think I like someone else."

I looked up at him. Jesse tilted his head slightly, as if he was confused and at the same time upset by my response.

"Oh, um... okay," he said sadly. He tried forcing a smile, but I could tell it wasn't genuine.

Things got more awkward very quickly. I looked at my watch and thank goodness my break was almost over. I took my phone and put it in my pocket. As I got up from my seat, I smiled softly at him.

"I'm sorry," I said to him before I started walking back to behind the counter.

"I-it's okay. I guess I'll text you soon, then?" he replied, getting up from his seat as well.

I shrugged and waved goodbye to him.

A few weeks later, I invited Darren over to my apartment. I wanted to perform for him a little bit, as well as listen to some other music and watch a few movies. I texted him my address and waited for him. I just had a pair of pajamas on and it was basically like the night I spent over at his house, except the house this time was an apartment and it wasn't nearly as nice.

At around 8:40 P.M., I heard a knock on my apartment door. I walked over and opened it to reveal Darren standing there in a dark grey hoodie and a navy blue beanie.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

Smiling widely, I greeted him with a hug and he responded by hugging back and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. I could feel my cheeks becoming red and turned around before he could see me blushing. I had a large blanket and a few pillows laying on the floor. I also had my guitar on a stand and some CD's and DVD's in a pile on the coffee table.

I quickly placed my hands on either side of my face to cool my cheeks down. When I thought they were back to normal, I turned around to face Darren. He seemed occupied with looking around. Darren probably thought the apartment was a complete piece of crap. I surely did. In an instant, he smiled at me and spoke.

"You definitely prepared!"

Nodding, I laughed softly. "Yes, I guess you can say that," I gestured toward the couch, "Take a seat and get comfortable, Dare. My home is your home."

_Did I seriously just say that?_

Amazingly, his expression didn't change to one of disgust. He took a seat and continued smiling at me. "What's first on the agenda, Jam?"

_Jam? No one except my family and Angie ever calls me that. _

"Well, I'm gonna sing you that song that I said I've been writing. I haven't finished it yet, but I'll sing what I've got," I replied, getting my guitar.

"Oh? Sounds fun! I can't wait to hear it." Darren looked like an eager puppy whose owners just came home from the store with a new toy.

I smiled and took a seat beside him with my guitar resting on my lap. I put the strap on and grabbed the pick, placing it between my right index finger and thumb. At a steady volume, I started playing the first chords.

"It's called 'Life Is More Than You See'"

**Darren's POV**

I watched Jamie as she looked down at her guitar, making sure she had her fingering right. Her hair was flowing on one side and she looked so calm. She started playing some more chords and then took a breath before she started singing.

_"Do you ever really look at the world_

_With your eyes? It's a surprise, isn't it?_

_If you take a look you will see all the possibilities, _

_Isn't it great?_

_So if you fall, make a call to the birds _

_With your words, why not?"_

I had to keep myself from letting my jaw drop. Her singing was even more amazing than from how I remembered it! And her guitar playing was great! Her strumming started getting slightly faster for what I guessed was the chorus of her song:

_"Life is more than you see _

_There is more than you breathe_

_So take a look and you'll see_

_A world of endless possibilities_

_Life is more than you see"_

The music from the guitar stopped and she was looking at me with her beautiful brown eyes.

"That's all I have so far. What do you think?" she asked me.

Jamie seemed really curious about my opinion of it. I guess she wasn't exactly what you'd call open about her personal music. I clapped for her and smiled widely.

"Bravo! Jamie... that was amazing! You're so freaking talented."

Her face started turning a light red and she looked down for a second, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Then, she looked back up at me.

"Thanks, Darren. That means a lot to me."

"No problem. You definitely need to finish that."

"Trust me, I will. And you'll be the first one to hear the whole song," she giggled then took off the strap and handed the acoustic guitar to me, "Here. You play something."

I laughed and took the guitar. After putting on the strap and taking the pick, I asked her if she wanted me to play anything specific.

"No, just play anything. Anything your heart desires," she responded. Jamie sat with her legs folded and she was cuddling with a pillow in front of her. She was ready to listen.

That's when I started playing 'Sami'.

* * *

Fun fact: I wrote that song when I was in 6th grade. I even have it posted on the Bearville Insider website from when I had an account and used it frequently. xD Expect a new chapter sometime next week!


	13. Jealousy

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_(A/N: It's summer! Wellll, it's midnight and I'm writing this. Sorry it took so long for an update, but again, it's SUMMER! No commitments, no school, nothing. Welp, here's chapter 13! I'd like to warn that there is quite a bit of POV changes. SORRY!)_

**Darren's POV**

As I finished playing the final chords of the song, I noticed that I kept my main focus on Jamie the whole time. Usually I get distracted when I'm singing and my thoughts go all over the place, but not this time. I was focused on her, and only her. It felt as if what I was singing was relevant to how I was feeling towards Jamie. That was when I realized she may just be my Sami.

_"Why can't you see what you're doing to me? What you're doing to me."_

Jamie clapped, smiling and shouting with her usually so hushed voice, "Encore! Encore!"

I laughed and bowed for my one-person audience. Sure, it wasn't my usual venue-filled crowd, but her delight and appreciation made me feel the same way as a room full of loud cheers from hundreds of fans did. Although I lowered my head, I couldn't bring myself to break my eye contact with her. Her cheering faded out and she stopped clapping, keeping a soft smile, leaving me with a view of her calm and natural essence once more. Everything about her was so _perfect. _

**Jamie's POV**

A little voice in my head was telling me that Darren was giving me a look. Whether it was good or bad, I didn't know. I continued to smile softly at him and tried to analyze what exactly was going on. He had a sincere look on his face, but I wasn't sure whether I was just confusing that with pity. What was going on in that head of his? What was he thinking? Oh God, did I have something on my face? I cleared my throat and broke the silence, "I-I'll be right back." As I got up from the couch to head to the bathroom to do a quick blemish-check, I felt my phone buzz. Not minding that much, I placed the device on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Stay here," I gestured to Darren and giggled a bit, walking away until I reached the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

**Darren's POV**

As soon as Jamie was out of sight, curiosity got the best of me and I glanced at her still buzzing phone. Taking a closer look, I saw what was causing her to get so many notifications. They were a bunch of texts from Jessie.

_Hey babe._

_ What's up, hun?_

_ I'm free all next week, in case you wanna meet up or something._

My eyebrow raised a bit and I frowned. Did Jamie start talking to that asshole again?I could feel a slight tingling in my head and chest. Was it _jealousy_? No, it couldn't be. No. It's just me, a good friend, looking out for her. I don't want her to get hurt, that's all.

Seconds passed and I could feel my pulse racing and my body heat rising. Why was I feeling this way? I started feeling slightly... hurt.

A few moments later, I heard her footsteps coming closer to me. When she took her seat, I pushed myself up and took the guitar off of me. She was bound to read the texts soon and I didn't feel like being there while she flirted with her ex-boyfriend...current boyfriend...whatever the fuck Jessie was to her. I didn't like this at all, but I knew I couldn't do much about it. It's her love life and she can make her own decisions. What could I do but to just leave and let her be? I coughed and avoided eye contact.

"I gotta go," I stated, heading towards the door, "Um.. thanks for having me over."

I heard her get up and shuffle towards my direction, "Really? Why so sudden?"

Turning around, I caught sight of a confused Jamie. She was frowning a tiny bit and had her head tilted, wondering what was happening.

"I have a lot on my schedule tomorrow. Long day," I explained.

She didn't seem to buy it, but she just nodded slowly and sighed, "Oh okay, I understand..."

"Sorry."

"No, no. It's fine, really," she said gloomily with a fake reassuring nod.

"Okay, goodbye then," I gave her a quick and small wave.

"Goodnight, Darren."

After that, I didn't send or receive any texts or calls from her. I had a feeling this silence was going to last a while.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I felt like it was a good stopping point. There's plenty more to come though! I have a lot planned for the next chapter and I already know the next one will be pretty long :D Ideas, ideas, ideas!_


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